A Study On American Sign Language ( Asl )

Classifiers are handshapes we use in American sign language (ASL) to show the movement, placement, orientation, size, and shape of a noun. Since ASL is a rule-governed language when using classifiers you must first identify the noun, then you can use the classifier to show how the object moves or is placed in relationship to other objects (Aron). American sign language uses eight different kinds of classifiers for specific categories.

In learning about the deaf culture I have taken on a new understanding about the people it includes. Through readings and the lessons, I have learned that being deaf has both its hardships and its blessings. The beauty of the language alone makes one want to learn all that he or she can about it. In this paper I will discuss the beauty of the language and the misconceptions the hearing world has about deafness.

Thanks for pointing out that sign language is not universal. Sign language is just as diverse as spoken languages with its own regional dialects for different countries (NAD, n.d.). Wow! For some reason I thought deaf people spoke the same standard sign language. I’ve been enlightened. With that in mind, I see how easy it is for people and sometimes frontline medical professionals to assume that hearing impaired individuals use one language. I think it also speaks to my own cultural challenge. Since I do not have any hearing impaired individuals in my family or close friendships, I am not familiar with the way hearing impaired individuals communicate other than through sign language, which I assumed was universal. I think this is valuable because

As part of daily life, we communicate and connect ourselves with certain communities. School, jobs, families, sports, extracurricular activities, and many other communities are just a few we come into contact with. Although these may seem to appear the same, there are specific types of communities such as a discourse community. A discourse community is a group of people involved in and communicating about a particular topic, issue, or in a particular field (Webcourses, N.d, Website) that has a share a common set of goals and attempt to achieve these goals (Swales, 1990). According to researcher and educator, John Swales, there are six characteristics that define whether or not a community is considered a discourse community. Following the criteria Swales states is necessary to be a discourse community, I did an in depth research on the American Sign Language community. Through my study, I was able to meet all six characteristics.

The school I did my observation at was Bloomfield Hills High school for the American Sign Language class. The reason I have been tasked with observing an American Sign Language class is because that is my goal as a future educator, to teach American Sign Language from K to 12. I also would like to be able to educate the deaf students from K to 12, but that’s for another program, Deaf Education master’s program, in the future. I had four classes to observe, from 9th grade to 12th grade students for ASL (American Sign Language) classes. They were mostly white, some African American, and smaller number of other races such as Middle Eastern and Asian. Many of the students had special needs, the most common one would have to be ADD and ADHD, a few were hearing impaired, and I had one who was autistic. The average number I had for each class about 18 to 20 students. Now to discuss about my meaningful experiences, strengths and weaknesses of both my cooperating teacher and myself, my professional goals, and finally my reaction to the field experience.

Statistics drawn from a federation of the deaf shows that there are 70 million users of the sign language in the world.

American Sign Language is considered a natural and true language. A person who is able to speak ASL in addition to another natural true language such as English, Spanish, French, etc. is considered to be bilingual, just like any other person who speaks two languages. ASL classes are relatively easy to find. They are taught at many schools and universities across the country. Classes are also frequently found at community centers, churches and in some workplaces.

The strategy that I want to focus on is to reduce my dependence on English as I listen and communicate in American Sign Language. I chosen this strategy because I know that a habit is form my doing a behavior repeatedly after a consecutive number of days. Also by using this strategy, I will benefit to learn objects and everyday terms with the appropriate sign. Therefore, by not being distracted with writing notes and grammar or rules of this new language, I can focus on the actual way this language is communicated among people. By only listening and conversing in American Sign

American Sign Language is for sign language that provides all deaf and hard of hearing. I am Becky Bresnahan also, I am certified ASL teacher. ASL is same language from English but not same for syntax and grammar what English did. Hearing people think ASL not linguistic so, ASL is real language and it is look like gestures and facial expressions through to English word also Many deaf people going to support and fight back for ASL sign language . If you meet deaf or hard of hearing person for first time. I suggest to talk with him or her with write BUT not all deaf can write but you can use gestures to deaf or hard of hearing person if they understand. Remember Deaf is not for bad

However, while these explanations are plausible, I made an assumption that, if inaccurate, could diminish the validity of my claims. Specifically, I made the assumption that gesture training alone, without necessarily producing gesture during mental rotation tasks, could serve to enhance mental rotation performance. Should signing individuals not spontaneously produce gesture when solving mental rotation tasks, then the gesture intrinsic in sign language may still act as inherent spatial training, but it may not be used as an advantageous strategy

Growing up I learned both common American gestures and a bit of sign language. Many of these gestures do not overlap though, and the meanings vary from spoken English and sign language. In addition, facial expressions also vary between the languages, which leads to additional complications. I have relied on gestures throughout my life to fully understand the meaning of a conversation because I have had hearing loss since childhood. Most people do not have to consider what a gesture or facial expression contributes to nonverbal communication, they see them and know what they mean because of the tone of a person’s voice, or what was said. On the other hand, I struggle to understand speech when certain inflections are made, or letter sounds fall in a specific place in the sentence. Instead, I rely on the speakers facial expressions to tell me the mood of the conversation, and gestures to fill in gaps of missed speech. “Movements of the body to communicate with others, are shorthand ways to convey messages without using words”, Henslin says, and this sums up my experience with gestures (2014, p.

Hearing and speaking, two common human abilities that people often take for granted. Some people are unlucky and are cursed by the fact that they can not hear or speak, the feeling of isolation, knowing that they will never get to experience what everyone else experiences, never getting to communicate with the people near them like a regular human being. It must be a very lonely experience to know that you can not communicate with other people due to the fact that you can not hear and speak. But in every unfortunate event there is a silver lining and the silver lining in this is that human ingenuity has created a system that allows them to communicate with others, sign language. Sign language acts as a gateway of communication for the deaf

All over the world we have an abundance of culture and language that make upsociety.Other than knowing the American language, I also know sign language. Icould not imagine my life witho out sign language. It has always been a huge part of it. Knowing sign language has given me so many oppertunitiers in life that have beneifited mein different ways. Ihave never really thought of what it would be like to not or ever learned sign language.

Face to Face is the best method for American Sign Language. Online courses may work but it does not give instant feedback with correction and support of understanding the non-manual such as face expression, body language, and more.

During my time in my Sign language 101 class I was lucky enough to experience what my girlfriend, who is fluent in sign language, called deaf tea. The first friday of every month my hometown has a festival, art walk downtown. On these fridays the deaf people in the town meet up at a tea house to all sit down and just sign. Of course they are always willing to sign to anyone who may know a sign or two and always seemed to be having a great time. On one of the weekends we went back and were lucky enough to spend some time with them. It was a completely different experience knowing the little amount of signs I knew, but it was enough. Compared to when I first met them, where they were just waving their hands back and forth in a quick blur, this